No abstract available.
Fractures, Compression* ; Osteoporosis* ; Vertebroplasty*

HIV-1 tat, a strong transactivator, is essential for the HIV-1 replication and AIDS progression. The Tat function is markedly inhibited by human anti-oncogene p53. This work was initiated to identify the p53-associated inhibitory mechanism on tat-mediated transactivation. Inhibitory function of P53 was confirmed by co-transfection of tat-expressing Jurkat cells with LTR-CAT plasmid, or H3Tl cells (LTR-CAT integrated HeLa cells) with different ratio of pSV-tat/pCDNA-p53 plasmids. Results from the direct protein-protein .interaction between soluble p53 and tat, and yeast two-hybrid experiments showed that the co-suppression mechanism is unlikely to be due to the direct interaction. CAT activity was not affected by tat in Jurkat cells which were transfected with p53-promoter-CAT or p53-enhancer-CAT, suggesting that the tat-mediated p53 suppression is not directly associated with p53-promoter. Finally, we have tested protein kinase activity in p53-tranfected Jurkat cells, which might phosphorylate HIV-1 tat, resulting in inhibition of tat function. Some of our data lead us to assume that the p53-mediated tat inhibition is likely to be associated with p53-associated, signaling-mediated phosphorylation of tat, resulting in the dysfunction of tat. This study is now under investigation.
Animals ; Cats ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; HIV-1* ; Humans ; Jurkat Cells ; Phosphorylation ; Plasmids ; Protein Kinases ; RNA Interference ; Trans-Activators ; Transcriptional Activation ; Yeasts

No abstract available.
Animals ; Ischemia* ; Kidney* ; Rats* ; Reperfusion*

No abstract available.
Social Workers

A case of isolated Crohn's disease of appendix is reported. It is a rare disease which commonly mimics the symptoms of acute appendicitis. Review of 221 identical cases previously reported in the world literature revealed slight male predominance(1.17:1) and peak age of incidence in the third decade(24.3 yrs). In contrast to typical Crohn's disease, the rate of postoperative fistula and recurrence was minimal; 1.0% and 3.8%, respectively. Due to these differences, many consider it to be a separate disease entity from Crohn, and a new diagnostic term - "Idiopathic Granulomatous Appendicitis" - has gained wide acceptance in recent years.
Appendicitis* ; Appendix* ; Crohn Disease* ; Fistula ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Rare Diseases ; Recurrence

No Abstract Available.
Adipose Tissue* ; Glomus Tumor*

The placements of silicone tube and silicone stent are helpful in maintaining the patency of lacrimal passage in endoscopic intranasal dacryocystorhinostomy(DCR). Hwoever, they can cause obstruction of internal ostium due to complications, such as inflammation and granuloma formation. The authors evaluated the rates of granuloma formation in 33 cases who had undergone endoscopic DCR with placement of silicone tube and silicone stent and the optimal removal timing to increase patency rates. Granuloma formation was noted in 19 of 33 cases; 12 of the 19 cases developed granuloma formation between 7 and 12 week after operation. Therefore, we concluded that the rates of granuloma formation were higher in placement of both silicone tube and silicone stent than those of silicone tube alone, and the optimal time for their removal seemed to be between 4 and 6 weeks postoperatively.
Dacryocystorhinostomy* ; Granuloma* ; Inflammation ; Silicones* ; Stents*

PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical results, recurrence rates, and recurrence-related risk factors of temporary amniotic membrane patch (TAMP) after excision of primary pterygium. METHODS: Recurrence grade was evaluated for 73 eyes with a mean follow-up of 15.5 months (range 9 to 56 months). Surgical results were classified into surgical success (G0/G1), conjunctival recurrence (G2), and corneal recurrence (G3). Recurrence rates were analyzed based on gender, age, Tan's preoperative grading system, horizontal and vertical length of the preoperative pterygium, the corneal involvement size of the preoperative pterygium, planned or unplanned removal of amniotic membrane, and epithelial healing time. Using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, the cumulative proportion of integrated G0/G1 was evaluated. RESULTS: In the postoperative grading, 58 (79.5%) and 9 (12.3%) eyes were graded as clinically recurrence-free G0 and G1, respectively; 4 (5.5%) and 2 (2.7%) eyes were graded as clinically recurrence-occurred G2 and G3, respectively. The cumulative proportion of integrated recurrence-free G0/G1 at 24 months after surgery was 0.83 +/- 0.08. T3 of Tan's preoperative grading system was identified as the only risk factor for recurrence above G1 through multivariate logistic regression analysis (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The recurrence rate of the present TAMP study showed better results in comparison with 9.1 to 56.1% of recurrence rates in other studies. The TAMP has advantages of surgical procedure with ease, low complications, and low recurrence rates. Therefore, after surgical excision of primary pterygium, the authors concluded the TAMP is highly recommended for good clinical outcomes and low recurrence rates.
Amnion ; Eye ; Follow-Up Studies ; Logistic Models ; Pterygium ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors

The American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (Guides) has provided an useful guideline in interpreting information on permanent impairment based on the in-depth knowledge and experience in impairment ratings accumulated for a long period of time. Since its first publication by American Medical Association (1958), as A Guide to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment of the Extremities and Back', 12 additional guides' has been published by the JAMA over the next 12 years. All the guides were consolidated to become the first official edition of the Guides' in 1971. The 'Guides' has been updated periodically to reflect current scientific clinical knowledge and judgment methods. It has become the best system available to evaluate permanent impairments across many disciplines. The latest sixth edition created a "paradigm shift" in the area of the impairment assessment by introducing a contemporary model of disablement. The standardized methods elaborated in the sixth edition clearly enhances the relevancy of impairment ratings, improves internal consistency of the methods and renders the application of the rating process easier. It adopts the terminology and conceptual framework from the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health in order to generate five impairment classes. A diagnosis-based grid has been developed for each organ system. Functional history, physical findings and objective clinical test results are integrated to determine the grade within the impairment class. The Guides' is the most widely used source for assessing and rating permanent impairments in the United States and can be considered as the best available method for the assessment of permanent impairment.
American Medical Association ; Disability Evaluation ; Extremities ; Judgment ; Publications ; United States

Endometriosis in the abdominal wall following Cesarean section is one of the very rare condition among the extrapelvic endometriosis. Although benign, endometriosis possesses the unique ability to invade tissue and to disseminate or metastasize by hematogeneous, lymphatic route, or direct implantation. We reported the case with brief review of the literature.
Abdominal Wall* ; Cesarean Section* ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Pregnancy